Lin Mo sat cross-legged in the great hall, first opening the Space Ring of the Second Palace Master, to his surprise finding ten High-Grade Spirit Stones, along with some mature Spiritual Medicine and Elixirs. Although he didn't care much for the Elixirs, the Spirit Stones were extremely important to Lin Mo, so he collected them with great care.
In addition to that, inside the Space Ring were a few pieces of special metal and a pile of sand that resembled fresh blood.
"This is Blood Sea Secret Sand, Mystical Golden Iron, and Wind Frost Treasure Crystal." Lin Mo's eyes lit up with excitement upon seeing these items, much like a child laying eyes on a coveted toy.
Having acquired these items, it was more than enough to raise the Xuanyuan Sword by a grade. If he could also concoct the Tianxuan Pill and enhance his strength, the journey to the Great Snow Mountain would indeed be a bountiful one for Lin Mo.
"Refine the sword first, then the pill," Lin Mo decided and began to simulate the process and details of refining the Xuanyuan Sword within his mind using his Divine Sense. Although he had the Artifact Refining Technique, he had not often engaged in such an advanced enhancement of a treasure.
As the Xuanyuan Sword was his Lifebound Treasure, it could continuously grow. If it were to eventually become a Divine Artifact, it would surely surpass those created directly as Divine Artifacts in power.
But this task could not afford any carelessness or accidents. If the enhancement failed, the Xuanyuan Sword might be damaged, falling to the level of a lesser Magic Artifact. Therefore, Lin Mo had to thoroughly calculate and evolve the process before he could commence with the refinement.
Three days later, confidence finally shone on Lin Mo's face. He located a spot within the Miao Xue Divine Palace where the Spiritual Energy was dense, and with a punch to the ground, the earth trembled and cracked open with deep fissures as if struck by an earthquake.
Blue 'flames' burst forth from those cracks but emitted a bone-chilling cold instead of heat.
These were not true flames, but the Earth Evil Qi of the Miao Xue Divine Palace. Nestled within the Great Snow Mountain, the Palace had accumulated a massive amount of Earth Evil Cold Qi from hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of years.
The best flames for refining Magic Artifacts were Earth Evil Qi, and the Ice Attribute inherent in the Xuanyuan Sword complemented the Earth Evil Cold Flames beneath the Miao Xue Divine Palace perfectly. It would not only allow for the refining of Magic Artifacts but also enhance the power of Xuanyuan Sword's Ice Attribute.
Lin Mo sat in place, forming complex Dharma Seals, because the Earth Evil Cold Flames alone were not sufficient; he must gather all the cold flames together.
Gradually, the initially erupting cold flames started to converge after Lin Mo cast a few Dharma Seals, eventually forming a beautiful pale blue flower, and the chill it radiated seemed to vanish all at once.
But in reality, that chill and energy all concentrated inside the blue flames, not dissipated wastefully.
A frail mosquito, oblivious to the blue flames, darted in and was instantly frozen into a blue ice crystal by the cold qi inside, before it fell to the ground.
"It is finally complete."
Lin Mo breathed a sigh of relief, his forehead covered with a sheen of fine sweat. With his current strength, arranging these Earth Evil Flames was extraordinarily challenging, if another Cultivator at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment attempted it, they wouldn't manage to set up Earth Evil Flames for Artifact Refining.
The reason he expended so much effort was to ensure that this refining would be flawless. The Xuanyuan Sword was Lin Mo's Lifebound Magic Treasure after all; if it were damaged, it could also harm his spirit. Moreover, given the unstable situation at hand, Lin Mo couldn't afford any failure.
Lin Mo withdrew the Xuanyuan Sword, the three-foot-three-inch long treasure sword holding back its sharpness, hovering above his head. A creamy-white Dragon Fish emerged from it, frolicked playfully in the air, full of life and joy.
"I am ninety percent confident that this refining will succeed, but Sword Spirit, you will need to undergo the tempering alongside the Xuanyuan Sword. Whether you can endure the agony brought about by the cold flames, that depends entirely on you," Lin Mo said solemnly, addressing the Dragon Fish Sword Spirit.
Because the Dragon Fish Sword Spirit was the Artifact Spirit of the Xuanyuan Sword, it shared a spirit connection with Lin Mo.
The Dragon Fish seemed to understand Lin Mo's words and let out a few excited cries, clearly looking forward to its own progression, eager to solidify its form and become a true Spiritual Entity.
"Go," Lin Mo said with a trace of a smile, beckoning to the Dragon Fish.
The Dragon Fish plunged into the Xuanyuan Sword, and immediately, the sword charged into the midst of the blue flames. In an instant, the body of the Xuanyuan Sword was covered by blue ice crystals, freezing into an ice-blue treasure sword that shimmered with a pale blue light.
Xuanyuan Sword was Lin Mo's Lifebound Treasure, and as such, he could distinctly feel both the trials that Xuanyuan Sword was undergoing at this moment and the pain suffered by the Dragon Fish.
"To become an ultimate Divine Artifact, one must endure a million temperings," Lin Mo muttered to himself, yet his face dared not show any trace of relaxation as he closely watched the changes of Xuanyuan Sword amidst the cold flames.
For this round of Artifact Refining, Lin Mo had already prepared the necessary materials; all that was needed was to add them one by one in the right order, proportion, and timing. Though it sounded simple, the process encompassed much of the knowledge and experience in Artifact Refining.
He had to decide the order and timing of adding materials based on the changes in flames, the transformation of Xuanyuan Sword, and most importantly the quantity—not merely a matter of more or less, so every step and detail were crucial. Lin Mo was almost exerting his utmost concentration, not daring to slacken in the slightest.
"Add the Blood Sea Secret Sand."
"Add the Wind Frost Treasure Crystal."
"Add the Mystical Golden Iron." Yet another three days had passed, during which Lin Mo neither ate anything nor rested; he was solely focused on forging Xuanyuan Sword. Finally, by midday of the third day, fine cracks appeared on the blue ice crystals on Xuanyuan Sword. They soon fell off like discarded shells, revealing the Xuanyuan Sword within.
There were no significant changes to Xuanyuan Sword, but its body had become even more translucent, emitting a mysterious deep blue glow. The chill it radiated could be felt as if needles on the skin even a hundred meters away, causing one's entire body to ache.
"Hum."
Xuanyuan Sword flew into the air, and a white Dragon Fish leaped from the sword body, dancing joyously in the sky and emitting cheerful cries. Lin Mo looked up, a hint of relief and joy flashing across his face.
By this time, the Dragon Fish Sword Spirit's body had solidified substantially, with white scales as smooth as White Jade covering its body. Its four limbs were also covered in fine scales; its claws were as sharp as sword edges, while two small, jade-like feet protruded from its head, appearing endearing. However, the power that it radiated was not to be underestimated.
"It has finally condensed into a solid form. It might even evolve into a Jade Flood Dragon in the future," Lin Mo murmured to himself.
After frolicking joyously for a while, the Dragon Fish Sword Spirit dove back into the body of Xuanyuan Sword, which then flew before Lin Mo, quivering slightly, and buzzing, seemingly excited.
Lin Mo reached out his hand and gripped the hilt of Xuanyuan Sword; he didn't feel the slightest chill in his palm.
Upon holding Xuanyuan Sword, he could feel that the power contained within the treasure sword had grown much stronger than before. It had successfully advanced to Second Grade Treasure, and due to the presence of the Dragon Fish as an Artifact Spirit, it was by no means inferior to other third-grade treasures.
The advancement of Xuanyuan Sword was doubtlessly another increment to Lin Mo's strength.
Gripping the treasure sword firmly, Lin Mo suddenly swung it forward, causing the winds and clouds to shift, and the colors of heaven and earth to change. The deep blue sword light swept across hundreds of meters; everything in front of it was cleaved into two halves, leaving a deep ravine in the ground, like a crack from an earthquake, accompanied by a trail of ice blue crystals.
Even tens of meters away from the crack, all the grass and trees were frozen by the cold energy into icy sculptures of silvered beauty - utterly magnificent.
Even Lin Mo hadn't anticipated such formidable power from Xuanyuan Sword; he stared at the treasure sword for a moment, then understood.
As he had crafted Xuanyuan Sword, he had inscribed the Ancient Ice and Thunder Technique into the blade. The materials used for quenching had absorbed a significant amount of Cold Energy, and so, it was able to wield such tremendous power.
Lin Mo sheathed Xuanyuan Sword, his eyes gleaming with two sharp rays of light.
While refining the artifact, Lin Mo had already taken the time to set up several cultivation Arrays, ensuring that even if people like the Great Palace Master and Qing Xuan were to attack, he would have time to react.
The materials for concocting Elixirs were all ready; Lin Mo swallowed them all down into his stomach, intending to use his body as a cauldron to refine the Tianxuan Pills.
By doing so, not only would there be no wastage of the medicine power, but his body could also fully absorb the power of the Tianxuan Pills.
However, during these days, Miao Zhu made another trip back to the Miao Xue Divine Palace. This time, she took away all the Disciples who were unwilling to leave with her to the Star Sect, clearly having secured the support of the three elders. Now, only Lin Mo remained in the Miao Xue Divine Palace.
Lin Mo sat cross-legged at the central position of the Divine Palace, having swallowed the medicinal ingredients, he immediately began to refine the Tianxuan Pills!
(Wonderful continuation tomorrow.)